


The Many Meetings of Val & Zendaya

by orphan_account



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Valdaya
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3693620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When life takes them in different directions, they always find their way back to each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Many Meetings of Val & Zendaya

**Author's Note:**

> This is fiction, not reality.

> _Fate brings you together, but it’s still up to you to make it happen. We may meet someone by chance, but keeping that someone is still a choice._    – Abhishek Tiwari

Zendaya sat with Bella in the ballroom, both girls excitedly talking about how well Roshon had done while the judges gave their feedback.  He had been so excited to land a spot on the show in the hopes of widening his own audience as well as showing viewers what dance meant to him.  He loved the art form and  _Dancing With the Stars_ was just another way to explore it. His excitement had been contagious and the entire  _Shake It Up_ family had been encouraging him ever since.  After watching his first dance with Chelsie, she could tell that he was having the time of his life.  He couldn’t stop smiling as he listened to what the judges had to say, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet as he took it all in.  

Zendaya inhaled deeply, her eyes traveling over the ballroom.  It was incredibly hot as the warmth from the glaring lights radiated down from above.  The smell of fresh paint was a delicate perfume in the air, left over from the set that had been quickly wheeled off as the stage had been set for Roshon’s number. There was constant motion, from the audience shifting in their seats to stage hands rushing around to make sure everything went smoothly.  Cameramen prowled around, lining up for the perfect shot as they listened to what was being said in their earpieces.  

Movement to her left caught her attention and she watched as one of the crew members led out another couple, whom Zendaya figured would be dancing next.  He positioned them on their mark in front of a camera, saying something quietly before moving out of the shot.  The woman only came up to the man’s shoulder and he wasn’t even that tall himself.  They stood slightly off to the side of her, their backs facing her.  The woman’s mocha skin shined under the lights as she swayed slightly back and forth.  Zendaya couldn’t tell if it was due to nerves or excitement.  The man was muscular; even with a shirt on, she could see that.  He reached out and grabbed the woman’s hand, turning her towards him.  They leaned closer together and spoke quietly.  Although they were far enough away that she couldn’t hear what was being said, she was close enough to see the flash of the man’s teeth as he smiled widely before glancing back over his shoulder.

Their eyes connected for a mere second before he returned his gaze to his partner, but Zendaya sat rigid in her chair.  When she was little, she had accidentally gotten too close to a wall outlet and had felt a short shock run through her body.  Looking at him, she had felt something similar.  The moment passed quickly though and, as Roshon made his way off the stage, waving at her and Bella as he went, it was quickly forgotten. But later that night as she closed her eyes to go to sleep, she saw the most beautiful shade of emerald.

* * *

Zendaya followed her parents into the elevator, turning to press the button for the floor that they needed.  Her fingers trembled slightly as she lowered her hand and she rubbed her palm against her thigh.  She had gotten pretty good at hiding her emotions from the outside world, but there were still moments when she had to collect herself.  There was absolutely no reason to be nervous anyway.  They weren’t even rehearsing today; she was only going to receive her style of dance for the first week and get to know her partner a bit.

She swallowed hard. It was that last part that worried her. She was going to be meeting the man that would become her teacher and partner for, hopefully, the next three months. The man that would have to put up with the restrictions that came with her age, parents, and teacher, not to mention all of her professional commitments outside of the show.  She was an optimist, so she firmly believed that she was capable of carrying it all, but she worried that her partner would not be as open-minded about it.  She didn’t care that she was only sixteen; she didn’t feel that that limited her in the competition in any way as long as she put in the effort that she needed to. But she knew that, for some, it might be considered bothersome and the last thing that she wanted was a partnership built on a foundation of discontent.  

She had done her research after finally deciding to join the cast, looking into every male professional dancer that had participated in recent seasons of the show. There were a few names that she had recognized but hadn’t really recollected much about them, like Tony Dovolani, Tristan MacManus, and Louis van Amstel.  All three had seemed nice enough in the videos that she had found on YouTube, though she was aware that not every aspect of a person’s character could be packed into minute-long segments.  

She had worked with Derek Hough and Mark Ballas before, so at least there was some history there.  They were both nice and willing to put in the work, as well as incredible dancers capable of creative choreography.  If she were partnered with one of them, at least she knew that her age would not be held against her.  

Then there were the Chmerkovskiy brothers, Maksim and Valentin.  They seemed especially passionate about dance and put in quite a bit of effort in order to teach their celebrities how to do each style properly. From what she had been able to find, Maks was prone to dramatics, but still seemed to put everything he had into his partnerships.  He had taken Roshon’s season off, so she didn’t know him from that, but she did remember Val.  Granted, it was only vaguely and mostly due to Sherri’s hilarious commentaries during each of their packages.  Besides that, her search for him online had turned up some rather interesting videos about his relationship with his partner from the previous season.  They had done really well in the competition though and she guessed that that was all that mattered.  

There was only so much that a quick Google search could unearth though.  It couldn’t tell you what their real personalities were like, how they worked under pressure, or whether or not they were a good teacher and those were the things that worried her the most.  

As the doors began to close, she took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself.  She could do this.  It was a good opportunity and she was completely capable of handling it, no matter who stood behind the studio’s doors.  

“Can you hold the elevator please?” a voice called.  Without even thinking about it, she reached out and punched the button that would open the doors, letting out the air that she had hastily inhaled. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t as confident as she wanted to be…but she wouldn’t let her anxiety stop her.  She would only live to regret it if she did. Plus she had signed the contract; there was no going back.

A rather short man entered the small space, a bag thrown hastily over his shoulder.  He exuded confidence and determination just in the way he walked and she found that she was slightly jealous of how at ease he seemed.  She questioned that perception when he ran his fingers through his hair seconds later before trying to smooth it back down.  Maybe he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.  He looked over to see which floor we were going to before finally looking over at her.  She instantly recognized him.  

“Hey,” he said, nodding.  

“Hey,” she answered.

He quickly took in her appearance before smiling reassuringly.  “You here for Season 16?”

“Yeah.”  

She wanted to say something more, anything more than the single syllable answers that flew out of her mouth, but her brain wasn’t cooperating.  It was too hung up on how green his eyes were.  She tried to think of a topic to start a conversation, but before she could come up with anything, the elevator pinged and the doors opened.

“Well good luck!” he said, hitching his bag up higher on his shoulder before walking down the hallway.  

That had been Val Chmerkovskiy.    

* * *

“We’ll let her go in alone first,” the crew member, who had previously introduced himself as Dave, stated mechanically as he led her and her parents down the hallway. “After we get the shots we need, you’ll be free to go in and we can fully explain the situation to him.”

_The situation._ Zendaya didn’t really appreciate being described like that, but she bit her tongue.  She was too nervous about who would be standing behind the door to care much about anything else at this point.  Dave finally came to a stop in front of two double doors that had a large “8” painted beside them.  

“Your partner’s through there.  Give me just a minute to get everyone in position inside and then we can get started.” He looked back at her, gesturing for her to wait in the hallway before disappearing inside.  

“Daya, you can still change your mind if you think this is going to be too much.”  Zendaya knew her mom was only trying to reassure her with a second option, but the paperwork had already been signed and her name added to the cast members listed as Season 16 celebrities.  

There really was no turning back and all three of them knew it, so she lifted her head slightly and said, “I’ll be fine.  I want to do this.”  And she did; it was just getting over the butterflies in her stomach that had accompanied her on every first day of school and through every audition she had ever done. Once she walked through those doors and knew what she would be facing for the next three months, she would be alright.  It was the unknown that worried her.  

Dave walked back out of the studio, firmly closing the door behind him before saying, “We’re ready for you now.”

“I just walk in?”

“Just walk in and start getting to know your partner.  Ignore the cameras.  They don’t matter, they’re just there to document it.”

She nodded, swallowing hard before walking forward.  She could easily look through the large windows on each door, but they had positioned her partner off to the side so she couldn’t see him.  She took a deep breath and pulled open the door like one would rip off a Band-Aid – quickly so as to feel the least amount of pain.  Her stomach jumped, the butterflies growing to the size of small birds.  

Of  _course_  it would be him.  

His face lit up upon seeing her, his arms outstretched slightly as his eyes widened.

“Hey!” she said.

“Hi!” he answered, an unspoken  _it’s you_ clearly evident in the short silence that followed.  

“Zendaya. Nice to meet you.”  As she got closer, she opened her arms, not knowing exactly what to do now that she was in the room with him.  

“Val Chmerkovskiy,” he answered, his accent intensifying as his tongue rolled lovingly across the syllables of his name.  

“Hug?”

“Hug it out, hug it out.”

“Alright, alright, cool.”

They leaned towards each other, his arms wrapping around her back loosely.  It was awkward and filled with uncertainty from both of them, but something about it seemed familiar, as though she had done this a million times before.  A few seconds later they separated, backing away from each other a little ways.  

“You’re very beautiful,” he said suddenly, almost as though the thought had been ripped from him without his permission.  

“Thank you, thank you.”

“How old are you?” She took a breath to steady herself, knowing what was coming.  The resulting shock, the automatic judgment, the immediate discontent.  

“I am sixteen.”

“Sixteen?” he asked, his voice rising in surprise.  He reached out, as though he could grab his previous words and draw them back in.  “I take that – I take that back.”  Alarm had briefly entered his eyes before disappearing, but she had seen it.  He was incredibly easy to read.  She laughed slightly, taking in the uneasiness that she had expected.  

“So I guess I’m like the youngest, which is pretty exciting.”

“Ever.”

“Ever,” she repeated.  

“Ever, right?” he asked, looking over at the camera.  She wondered if he was trying to telepathically ask the producers and cameramen why  _he_  had been the one to be paired up with her.  

After a few more standard get-to-know-you questions, her parents were brought in and the situation was explained.  She was filming her show until the end of the month, she was still going to school, and she was expected to make appearances at awards shows over the stretch of time that  _Dancing With the Stars_  would occupy.  It was weird, but she was able to read Val pretty well as she watched him take in everything that came along with being partnered with her.  She had gotten used to the closed-off, professional expression that adults wore so often in her industry, but he wore his emotions on his sleeve.  And so far, he didn’t seem all that impressed with the situation.  

After he had been introduced to everyone and they had received Contemporary as their first dance style, they were free to go.  She watched as Val walked back over to his bag, searching through its contents before pulling out his phone.  His fingers flew over the keys as he typed something.  

“Give me a minute,” she said, making up her mind. She left her parents and walked over to Val, leaving enough space between them for him to be comfortable.  

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

He glanced up at her, his fingers pausing.  “Sorry for what?”

“I know this probably wasn’t what you expected.  I know that the whole limitation of hours and school and events and everything is probably really overwhelming and I know that you didn’t ask for this.”

He opened his mouth, probably to discount everything that she had said, but she beat him to it.

“But I really want to do this.  I really want to learn and I’m willing to put in the effort.  I  _want_ to be here.”  His eyes immediately softened as he took in her set jaw and lifted chin.  She didn’t know what he saw in that moment, but it apparently shifted his opinion of her, at least a little bit.  

He nodded in understanding.  “Then we’ll get along just fine.”

* * *

Val was nervous. He was always confident, always self-assured, yet he had always felt different when he was around her.  It wasn’t that he really  _was_ different, rather the fact that he was always able to be nothing but himself when he was with her.  It was nerve-wracking to be able to be so open and honest with someone. It made him vulnerable.  

It had only been two months, but it had felt like so much longer after spending every single day with her for three months.  It had never really bothered him before, the separation he experienced after a season ended, but being away from her was unbearable at times.  When he was with Alex, Serge, or his family, he was distracted and able to forget for a while, but when he was alone, it felt as though a part of him was missing.

He hadn’t expected to get so close to his sixteen year old partner; he hadn’t foreseen the near gravitational pull he experienced whenever she was anywhere near him.  But maybe he should have.  He had known since that very first day that she was more mature than the average teenager, much more down-to-earth than the typical child star. They had had a connection right from the very beginning, a sort of unexplainable bond that had slowly gotten more and more consuming as he spent more time with her.  

He had gotten used to seeing her every day, just basking in her positivity and personality. To see her smile, especially if it had been in response to something that he had said or done, had created a level of joy within him that was beyond anything he could explain.  Her outlook on life matched with her belief in him had served to inspire him in a time when he had sorely needed it.  She had seen something in him, much like he had seen something in her, which had helped to create one of the most unique relationships in his life.  

It scared him, knowing just how much she had come to mean to him.  The feelings that were beginning to form, at least on his end, scared the hell out of him as well.  At one point, he had wondered if he was exaggerating everything he felt towards her, but talking to her nearly every single day made it obvious that he was not.  Even just hearing her voice or seeing her name pop up on his phone display was enough to make him smile.  

Yet he was still nervous.  Happy and excited, but still very nervous.  

Headlights illuminated the curtains that hung on the windows nearest the driveway, signaling that a vehicle had just pulled in.  His stomach jumped and he clenched his jaw, trying to gain control of his out of control emotions.  

“They’re here!” Mama said excitedly, coming into the living room from the kitchen.  She had been cooking since midday in order to have dinner ready by the time they arrived and, Mama being Mama, she had made a feast.  He hoped the Colemans were hungry, otherwise Papa would be eating leftovers for weeks to come.  

Papa muted the television before asking Mama if she needed help with anything.  She waved off his offer, untying the apron from around her waist.  Maks launched himself off of the couch, bolting towards the front door.  Suddenly he paused, turning to face Val.  

“Do you want to get it?” he asked.  

“No, go ahead.” Realizing that he was the only one still sitting, he slowly got to his feet.  

“Are you alright?” Maks asked, concerned, just as the doorbell rang.  

“I’m fine.  Go get the door.”

Maks looked at him with concern for a few seconds longer before heading down the hallway. Val could hear the slight squeak of the hinges as Maks swung open the door, soon accompanied by the low sound of voices coming from the foyer.  He had avoided that room to the best of his ability since she had walked out of it in May. Walking slowly down the hallway, he thought it was fitting that that would be the first place that he would see her again.  His parents followed him into the entryway, leaving him in the doorway to approach Kaz and Claire as he paused to take in the scene.  

Maks stood just inside the door, holding her in his arms.  She was laughing at something he had said, her face radiant in the darkened hall.  Seeing her again was like being punched in the gut.    

“It’s good to see you too,” she said, giggling as Maks squeezed her tighter and lifted her slightly off her feet.  Val felt the familiar pull towards her and allowed his feet to carry him across the floor. As though sensing him, her eyes suddenly met his.  If she had looked happy before, she looked ecstatic as she gently pulled away from his brother.  An answering smile automatically unfolded across his lips.  Suddenly the nerves were gone, as though they had never even been there to begin with, replaced with a light, bubbly feeling.  

They met in the middle of the room, embracing like they had been apart for years and not mere months.  He placed his hand on the back of her head, cradling it against his shoulder as she buried her nose into his throat and breathed him in.  It was a far more intimate action than he had expected from her, but he didn’t mind.  He tightened his hold on her, reveling in how it felt to hold her in his arms again.  

“I missed you,” she whispered.  In the grand scheme of things, it was an odd thing to say when they had been talking the whole time that they had been separated, but he didn’t care.

He had missed her too.  

* * *

“Point your toe,” Val ordered Elizabeth, bending down and doing it for her.  “Good.”

“And then once we do the pivot, we –

“Let’s finish working on the pivot first.”  He tried to keep the frustration from his voice, but he was never one to hide his feelings.  He wore them on his sleeve and damn the consequences.  

“Ah, I remember when he was in his grouchy pants phase.”  

Val swung around, not even bothering to look in the mirror to see who was behind him.  He recognized the voice, but it couldn’t possibly be her.  She was on tour; she wouldn’t be able to stop by the studio for another month or so.  She couldn’t possibly be here.  

And yet, there she stood, dressed for comfort with her hair hanging down in her face.  The surprise rippling through him was so similar to what he had felt in February that he had to shake himself and make sure that he wasn’t simply imagining her walking through studio eight’s door.  But Claire stood behind her, holding two large bags, and that was what finally convinced him that she was real.  

“Surprise!” she cried, launching herself at him.  He caught her up against his chest, holding her close.  He had just seen her a few weeks ago, when he had attended her concert at the LA County Fair, but it seemed like there was always a somewhat hollow feeling in his chest no matter how long they were apart.  To see her now, when he least expected it, was like a balm to a painful wound.  

“Babe, what are you doing here?” he finally asked, pulling away just enough to see her face, refusing to let go of her quite yet.  

“We made a side trip on our way to our next stop,” she explained.  “And I have stuff for you.  Speaking of which, we’re being really rude.”  She looked over his shoulder before letting her arms drop from around him.  Val let his arms return to his sides before turning to face Elizabeth.  

“Liz, this is –

“You’re Zendaya,” she said, interrupting him.  Val looked over at Zendaya and noticed that she looked as surprised as he felt.  

“Yeah,” Zendaya said, walking over to her.  “How did you know?”

“Besides the fact that he talks about you non-stop,” Liz answered, gesturing towards him, “I looked up all of Val’s old dances once I knew he was my partner.”

“You did?” he asked. He hadn’t known that.  She ignored him, concentrating on Zendaya.  

“Yours were some of my favorites.  You were really able to capture every style.”

“Thank you,” Zendaya said, her expression clearly showing that she meant it.  

“It’s really nice to finally meet you.”  Liz reached out and they shook hands.  

“It’s nice to meet you too.”  Zendaya gestured towards her mom, who had walked over to the table in the corner and sat the bags down.  “This is my mom, Claire.”  After the introductions had been made, Zendaya led Val and Liz over to the table.  

“I brought you each a care package.”  She reached into one of the bags and pulled out two medium-sized brown boxes.  Val could make out Zendaya’s handwriting on a corner of each of them, probably denoting whose was whose.  She handed Elizabeth one of them, smiling as his partner’s eyes widened in surprise.  

“I didn’t know what fragrances you liked, so I went with lavender.  It always calms me down and after a day with grouchy pants over here,” she said, gesturing towards him, “I figured something relaxing would be nice.” He couldn’t help the smile that automatically spread across his face at the nickname.  

“There’s bath salts, candles, stuff like that,” Zendaya continued.  

Elizabeth was speechless, which didn’t happen all that often.  She was looking a little misty-eyed, so Zendaya turned away to give her a moment to collect herself.  She grabbed the other box and handed it to him, glancing up to meet his gaze. Something passed between them in that moment before they each looked away, something that caused a lump to rise in his throat.  

“Zendayachka –

“And I picked up Chick-Fil-A on the way,” Zendaya said, turning away and pulling out the wrapped sandwich that he always ordered.  “The drinks are still out in the car, but I’ll run and get them in a minute.”

Then she turned towards Liz.  “I got you a salad, because I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat.”

“You…you brought me food?” Elizabeth asked.  The shock hadn’t worn off from the care package and Val could see that this was surprising her even further.    

“Well you have to eat just as much as he does.”

“I know, but…you really didn’t have to do that.”

Zendaya shrugged. “I wanted to.”  

Seeing the appreciation and admiration on Liz’s face made pride well up within his chest. When Zendaya looked over at him, he couldn’t help the answering smile that spread across his lips.  

* * *

_Never been to Disneyland or Disney World or done any of those really cool fun things American kids do._

He had written it in jest, simply to point out how lucky native-born American children were when their parents were middle or upper class citizens.  He should’ve known that she would pull something like this, especially after she had answered with  _I’m taking care of that!!_

So when she had called him a few weeks ago, he really shouldn’t have been surprised…but he was.  

“Do you want to go to Disneyland?”  No build up, no warning; she got straight to the point.  

“What?”

“We’re going to Disneyland to celebrate Dom’s birthday next week.  Do you want to come?  You could bring other people if you wanted to.  They’d get a discount on tickets since you work for Disney.”  It was so random that it took him a few seconds to really understand what she was asking.  

She sighed. “You said that you’ve never been there and I thought maybe you’d want to tag along and experience it.”

“I…”  It took a lot to surprise him, but this did.  It took a few more seconds for him to get his bearings.  “Seriously? You want me to go?”

He could practically see her shrug on the other end.  “I thought it could be fun and you’d get to check that off of your bucket list.”

“Are you saying that I’m old enough to have a bucket list?”

She laughed. “Do you want to go or not?”

“Definitely,” he said.  “Let me check with a few people and see if they want to go too.”  It was his off season, so he wasn’t nearly as busy.  He might have to move a few things around, but he wanted to share this with her.  

“Okay, just let me know how many people to expect.”  She was trying to sound calm and collected, but he knew her too well. He could hear the excitement in her voice.  

He was a little unsure about what the day would entail, especially since he hadn’t exactly grown up watching Disney movies.  Would he even understand half of the references that would be made?  What would Zendaya think if he looked uneducated about his own employer?  

But it turned out to be a lot more fun than even he had thought, riding the Grizzly River Rapids and buying his first theme park picture at The Tower of Terror.  Some of it had seemed a little overwhelming, but he supposed that came with the territory.  

He and Zendaya didn’t get a moment alone together until late in the evening and even then they were still surrounded by people.  They were waiting for Trevor and Ben to buy food and the other girls were in the restroom.  They sat close together on a park bench beneath a tree, waiting for the fireworks display to start.  

“Hey,” he said, reaching over and taking her hand in his.  She turned to face him, a smile spreading across her lips.  

“Hey,” she answered, bumping her shoulder into his.  

“Thank you for this.”

“For what?”

He shrugged, not even really knowing himself.  But as the fireworks display started minutes later, he watched as the flashes of color lit up her face and knew that he was thankful simply for still being a part of her life.  

* * *

It was just his voice, just his Russian accent laced with traces of Brooklyn.  She couldn’t see him or hug him, but with his voice coming from the speakers around her, it was like he was there with her, despite the fact that he physically wasn’t.  

“Bye, beautiful. Bye.”

It was over as quickly as it had begun and she wanted to call him back, tell him not to go.

But he wasn’t really going anywhere and she could always talk to him once the interview was over.

* * *

He should’ve expected it, especially after her statement that she would get him back after he had pranked her.  It wasn’t really a prank, but it was a surprise nonetheless, payback for the numerous ways in which she had surprised him.  When his trailer door had whipped open and Alex had stumbled back, his shock pouring from his mouth in loud exclamations, Val had never expected that it would be her.  

But he should’ve.

They had consistently been making the effort to see each other whenever possible, especially now that they were both in LA.  Special occasions had taken on a particular importance, mostly because it was an excuse to see each other.  They had gone out to celebrate their “famiversary,” for God’s sake.  What the hell even _was_ a famiversary?

Being his birthday, he should’ve known that she would come to see him.  The balloons and present had been a nice touch, but the best gift in the world had been having her back in his arms.  

* * *

It wasn’t a reunion after a long time spent apart.  It wasn’t a wild crescendo of unbridled emotions building up to the moment when he could finally hold her in his arms again.  He wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but he knew that it  _wasn’t_ all of those things.  

He had walked the few blocks that separated the rehearsal space from the Disney studios, knowing that Zendaya would have a brief break between meetings with the producers of her new show.  They always had Kraft services cater lunch for them and Val was never one to turn down food.  

It wasn’t anything special, just the basic foods that were represented on the buffet every other day.  Even if she had had more time and he had wanted to whip up something special for her, he had been in camera blocking with Danica all morning and wouldn’t have had the time himself.

They were just sitting at a table by themselves, eating their meal and enjoying each other’s company.  The conversation was easy, as it always had been between them.  They could be having the most serious conversation in the world and it would still be easy for him to talk to her.  She understood him on a level that most others didn’t and that made him feel more comfortable opening up to her than almost anyone else.  

Suddenly she broke off what she was saying.  She had looked past him and noticed something, her eyes lighting up.  

“Hold on a sec, okay?”  She got up and quickly made her way across the room, hurrying back with a large paper bag from the grocery store down the street.

“There wasn’t enough food for you here already?” he joked.  

She smiled at him. “I’ve been craving it lately and I knew you would appreciate it.”  She opened the bag and pulled out the largest jar of Nutella that he had ever seen.  

“What the –

“I  _know_!” she interrupted, cutting off the swear word that surely would have escaped his mouth.  “It’s huge, right?”

They dug into the hazelnut chocolatey goodness, picking up their conversation from where they had left off.  When she accidentally smeared a small glob of Nutella on her cheek, he couldn’t help but smile at her.  She was telling him about how excited she was about K.C. Undercover, which she had just convinced the producers to rename.  He loved watching her when she was talking about something that she was passionate about because her eyes lit up with enthusiasm.  She had been so intent on her words that she hadn’t even noticed when the spread had gotten on her skin.    

He didn’t even think about it.  He simply reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb gently swiping the Nutella off.  She froze instantly, the words she had been about to say dying in her throat.  Her eyes met his before flickering down to his lips.  He inhaled sharply as her lips slightly parted, the tension rising between them.

It was the first time he thought that she really might feel it too.

* * *

They stood beside his trailer, laughing and talking.  It had been about a week since they had seen each other and despite the fact that that wasn’t very long, it felt like it had been.  She had gotten used to seeing him more often while he was in LA, but she had been busy with production meetings for K.C. Undercover. Val had been working hard with Danica in order to make it to the finals, a feat that they had just barely missed by getting voted off tonight.  

They weren’t talking about anything important; they were joking around about insignificant things in an attempt to ignore the fact that he would be leaving for New York in a few hours to do post-show press.  For just this moment, she was able to convince herself that time had frozen and they could just enjoy each other’s company. But time marched on even in the most inopportune of times and Zendaya felt like every second they spent together was another one closer to when he would have to board a plane.  

She shook that thought off. She would have plenty of time to assess things later; she needed to enjoy being around him while she still could.  As she laughed at something he said, he placed his hand on her back and drew her closer.  She rested her head on his shoulder and he nuzzled her neck.  

Despite her earlier conclusion, she couldn’t help but wish that they had more time.  

* * *

He was home.  

That was the only thing that she could think of as she posed for pictures on the red carpet. He was home and he was coming to the party.  She would get to see him after almost a month apart.  

Butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach, fluttering their wings against her insides. She didn’t appreciate their antics. She didn’t know why she was so nervous; it wasn’t like they hadn’t talked nearly every day that he had been on tour with Ballroom With a Twist.  But there was a difference between talking and texting over a phone versus being face to face.  She knew it and the butterflies in her stomach knew it too.  

She turned her head slightly, looking over towards the entrance just in time to see him approach the carpet.  His eyes were locked on her, ignoring everyone else.  Following his lead, she made her excuses to the two stylists following her and walked back the way she had come.  

He met her at the edge of the carpet and finally,  _finally,_ she was back in his arms.  

* * *

There had been so many meetings that she had lost count, moments that were both bittersweet and beautiful.  New York to California, the LA County Fair to Sway; all of them played in her mind. There were similarities every single time, particularly in the way that giddy elation slowly faded to happy contentment.  There was just something unexplainable in the way she felt when he hugged her after a long time spent apart.  

He had been on tour again, leaving the morning after their final Sway performance in December. She had gotten up early with the rest of the family in order to see him off, sitting on the couch with him moments before he left for the airport.  He had discreetly held her hand and played with her fingers as he thanked her for being in the show again before kissing her temple and flying back to LA.  

She hadn’t thought that it would be that bad.  Yes, she had gotten used to seeing him nearly every day, but they had gone a few months without seeing each other before.  What Zendaya hadn’t realized was that so much had changed between then and now. An ache in her chest had formed within the first few weeks and even hearing his voice could not assuage it. She was a strong, fiercely independent woman and never let the pain show, never admitted to anyone, not even herself, that she felt like she had lost a part of herself while he was gone.

But as she laid in bed one night, texting him after one of his shows, she had realized that sometime in the two years that they had known each other, LA had lost its connotation of her home.  She had lived there over five years, but the city had lost its warmth and comfort.  It simply didn’t feel like home without him there.

Her leg bounced up and down as she watched the city grow larger and larger in her window. She sighed before readjusting her Valentin hoodie as the plane landed.  Fashion Week had been a success; she and Law had been interviewed quite a few times and her walk down the runway had gone off without a hitch.  They had stayed until the last show at 5:30 and hopped on a plane four hours later.  She hoped that arriving at LAX at 12:45 would make it so they had a few minutes of privacy before getting on the road.  

As soon as the plane started taxiing to their gate, Zendaya pulled her phone out of her pocket and texted him.  

_Just landed!_

The response was almost immediate.  

_So excited, babe :D_

She felt warmth fill her up like a balloon.  After two months apart and thousands of miles between them, all that was separating them now was a single airport.  It was odd that the longing that had been building up in her chest was becoming even worse as the distance between them grew smaller, but she didn’t question it. All she knew was that she wanted to see him.  Nothing else mattered.  

After the plane came to a complete stop, she and her parents got up and grabbed their carry-on bags. They were in the third row and, therefore, were one of the first people to exit the aircraft.  They made their way into the building, passing the relatively empty lounges as they walked towards baggage claim.  Zendaya’s eyes constantly roved for the one person she wanted to see the most.  She knew it was stupid for her to be looking for him when she knew exactly where he would be, but she couldn’t help it.  After taking an escalator downstairs and walking what seemed like forever, they finally made it to the carousel.  Their flight information hadn’t even been entered on one of the monitors yet, so she knew that it would be awhile before their luggage would be unloaded.  

“Can I go find Val?” she asked.  Claire looked over at Kaz to gauge his reaction.  He appeared uncertain, peering at the darkness outside the sliding glass doors.  She knew that it wasn’t about Val himself, but the thought that something could happen to her in the time that it took her to find him.  He wouldn’t be able to protect her if he wasn’t with her.  

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to go alone, Daya.”

“Please?  He knew where to pick us up and he’s here. He’s probably right outside.”

He still didn’t look convinced, but said, “If he’s not within sight of the doors –

“I’ll come straight back, I promise.”

He nodded his assent and Zendaya instantly began walking towards the exit.  There was hardly anyone around yet, partially because their flight had been pretty empty, but she couldn’t help the instinctual surveying of her surroundings as she made her way outside.  She looked both ways, taking in the few vehicles that were parked along the sidewalk, waiting for the passengers that they were there to pick up. She instantly recognized the white car that sat at the far end and, more importantly, the man that leaned against its side.  She was rushing towards him before she even recognized that she was moving, her feet seemingly one step ahead of her brain.  Val saw the movement at the door and straightened as he realized that it was her, moving slightly away from the car.  She swung her bag off of her back when she was mere feet from him, dropping it to the ground.  They collided harder than she intended, but he apparently didn’t care; he was too busy clutching her against his chest.  

At first she was too overtaken with emotion to really comprehend anything else, but slowly reality began seeping in.  The sharp scent of his cologne mixed with the mint of his toothpaste and immediately comforted her.  She grabbed onto the back of his shirt, her fingers carelessly wrinkling the soft fabric as she buried her face in his neck.  The weight of his arms around her was comforting and suddenly she realized why LA hadn’t felt like home lately.   _He_ had become her home. Oddly that insight didn’t scare her as much as she thought that it should.  Maybe she had subconsciously known it all along.  

“Hi,” he murmured.

“Hi.”  

They didn’t say anything else because, in that moment, nothing else needed to be said. They were together again; that was everything and more.  

Eventually she whispered, “I need to text my parents and let them know I found you.”

“In a minute,” he answered, tightening his arms around her.  Her grip on his shirt increased in response.  It wouldn’t hurt to hold on for a few seconds longer.


End file.
